We are an Air Force family of four. Even though I am the one that wears the uniform, make no mistake, my whole family is in the Air Force. As a military family, we have faced (and still do) a unique set of trials and tribulations as well as normal ones. You can say the Air Force is kind of like Arkansas weather…Just wait a little while and it will change. I can say that through all the trials and change we have endured, there has been one constant that "got us through" and "kept us going". That was, is, and always will be God.

    Right after my wife and I were married, the Air Force showed us that this was not going to be a normal ride through life. About one week after we as a family got settled into our new home together, it hit. As a flyer in the Air Force, I had to say the words that would become all too familiar. "Honey, I have to go TDY for about a week." Now, TDY stands for Temporary DutY. The military loves acronyms. How temporary, that is, varies astronomically. Bottom line is that I was really saying, "Honey, I know we just got married… and we are just settling in… and you don’t know anybody around here… and you don’t know your way around town…and…" the list keeps going "But I have to leave for about a week. Oh yeah, I’m also going to need you to take care of everything by your self while I’m gone, OK? Thanks." We only had one car and this trip required me to take the car because I was not flying. So I had to add, "…and I have to take the car." This was a lot to put on my new wife. She was stressed. I was stressed because I had to put this weight on her shoulders. This was just the first TDY. My career would continue to be filled with TDY’s here and there. Some would be for 2 days and some would last 2 weeks.

    Now, let me say as a side note that I know other families that are not connected to the military have their equivalent problems. I am not trying to play those down at all. They are equally as stressful to the problems we have gone through. I am just sharing a military family’s situation. I salute every family holding it together out there.

    Anyway, we came through it all beautifully. We actually became accustomed to it and accepted it as our normal life. Then a dark cloud could be seen on the horizon. It was moving our way. It was my first deployment. These were "special" TDY’s. These didn’t last for a few days or weeks. Deployments went for months. So here we go again. "Honey, I am scheduled for a deployment." She of course would say, "Where to? And how long this time?" This was not so easy to answer. "For about 100 or so days and all I can tell you is that it is somewhere in Southwest Asia.", I said. She knew where though. This would be the longest time we have been apart yet. One more thing, "My deployment will cover the months of October, November, December, and January. So I will miss Christmas, New Years, and our 1^st Anniversary." The last event there was the one that hit hard. Not to mention that I was going to miss out on over 3 months of my family. I will never forget the day I had to leave on that deployment. It was so sad. However, we got through it. Looking back on that first year, I was actually home maybe half of the first year of our marriage. I would think to myself, how in the world did it last? Was it the love between us? Yes, that has to be there. However, that carries us only so far. We didn’t know it at the time but we also had the mighty power and love of God.

    That is how our marriage started off. Since then there have been many more TDY’s and deployments. God has been there every step of the way. He was there even when we were not paying attention to Him. That didn’t stop Him from providing the support framework for us. He provided it through the church families we have come to know and love. Now, don’t get me wrong, God has stepped in all by himself when He needed to help us out. But, He has always provided us with a loving church family, to be there, when we were in need. Whether the need be financial, emotional, spiritual or whatever. God has provided us with a good Pastor and church family to help us when we go through the trials we face. Could we have gotten through it all with out God? I say no way. If God would not have acted or provided the people to help us out, we would never have gotten through.

    I have tried to provide the perspective from an Air Force family on how God plays such a vital role in our lives. However, I say that it does not matter what kind of family of which you are a part. God is there, ready, waiting and able to bring you through whatever trial facing you. My name is James Pendergast and I am part of the New Hope Apostolic Tabernacle family. One of the needed support structures God has provided for me and my family.